The exact target of her comment was unclear, but it was widely interpreted as criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump's dismissal of Comey.

Smith's exit comes days after Trump called on Qatar to stop financially supporting terrorism, claiming credit for and endorsing the decision of Gulf nations to exclude their neighbor, even as US Cabinet officials said their barrier is hurting the campaign against ISIS.

"We had a decision to make," Trump said, describing conversations with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. "Do we take the easy road or do we finally take a hard but necessary action? We have to stop the funding of terrorism."

Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Qatar Ryan Gliha is likely to serve as "Charge D'Affaires ad interim" until a new ambassador is nominated, confirmed, and sworn in.

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